IndyBlog

Byers beware: Citizens unite against Riot Fest

There’s a riot going on in the sleepy little town of Byers, and it’s all Riot Fest’s fault.

When we last blogged about what’s arguably Southern Colorado’s most impressive music festival, promoters had just announced a second-year lineup that includes The Flaming Lips, Wu-Tang Clan, Die Antwoord, Rise Against, Social Distortion and The Cure.

Now comes word that the unincorporated town of 1,160 is rising up against the event, which will be held from September 19-21 unless a concerned citizenry can marshal its forces in time.

“RIOT FEST, STOP IT NOW!” pleads an “Opponents of Riot Fest” poster urging friends and neighbors to gather at the local American Legion Hall for a July 1 public hearing. “OPPONENTS OF THE EVENT MUST VOICE THEIR OPINIONS NOW OR BYERS MIGHT BECOME THE WRONG KIND OF TOWN FOR FAMILIES AND FARMERS!”

No official decision will be made at the hearing, so the possibility of a mass exodus will likely continue. Meanwhile, Riot Fest supporters can find a complete schedule of acts, broken down by day, here.